[net-gold] Secrecy News -- 05/08/12
- From: "David P. Dillard" <jwne@xxxxxxxxxx>
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- Date: Tue, 8 May 2012 12:43:29 -0400 (EDT)
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Date: Tue, 8 May 2012 11:21:18 -0400
From: Steven Aftergood <saftergood@xxxxxxx>
To: saftergood@xxxxxxx
Subject: Secrecy News -- 05/08/12
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SECRECY NEWS
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from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy Volume 2012, Issue No. 43 May 8,
2012
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Secrecy News Blog:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
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** USAF DRONES MAY CONDUCT "INCIDENTAL" DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE
** WHAT IS A CYBER THREAT?
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USAF DRONES MAY CONDUCT "INCIDENTAL" DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE
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U.S. Air Force policy permits the incidental collection of domestic imagery
by unmanned aerial systems (drones), but ordinarily would not allow targeted
surveillance of a U.S. person. The Air Force policy was restated in a newly
reissued instruction on oversight of Air Force intelligence.
"Air Force Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operations, exercise and training
missions will not conduct nonconsensual surveillance on specifically
identified US persons, unless expressly approved by the Secretary of
Defense, consistent with US law and regulations," the instruction stated.
On the other hand, "Collected imagery may incidentally include US persons or
private property without consent."
"Collecting information on specific targets inside the US raises policy and
legal concerns that require careful consideration, analysis and coordination
with legal counsel. Therefore, Air Force components should use domestic
imagery only when there is a justifiable need to do so, and then only IAW
[in accordance with] EO 12333, the National Security Act of 1947, as
amended, DoD 5240.1-R, and this instruction," it said.
Legally valid requirements for domestic imagery, the instruction said,
include surveillance of natural disasters, environmental studies, system
testing and training, and also counterintelligence and security-related
vulnerability assessments. Air Force units are authorized to acquire
domestic commercial imagery for such validated purposes.
However, "Air Force intelligence components must not conduct or give the
appearance of conducting collection, exploitation or dissemination of
commercial imagery or imagery associated products for other than approved
mission purposes."
See "Oversight of Intelligence Activities," Air Force Instruction 14-104,
April 23, 2012:
http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/usaf/afi14-104.pdf
Another new Air Force Instruction deals with the basic operation of Small
Unmanned Aerial Systems in domestic and foreign environments. Among other
things, it recommends caution in the use of non-uniformed personnel in
conducting drone combat missions.
"To ensure the noncombatant status of civilians and contractors is not
jeopardized, commanders shall consult with their servicing judge advocate
office for guidance before using civilian or contractor personnel in combat
operations or other missions involving direct participation in hostilities,"
the instruction advised.
See "Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations," Air Force Instruction
11-502, volume 3, April 26, 2012:
http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/usaf/afi11-502v3.pdf
In its new mark of the FY2013 defense authorization bill, the House Armed
Services Committee is proposing to provide the Air Force with even more
money than it requested for its Predator and Reaper drone programs. See
"Congress Funds Killer Drones the Air Force Says It Can't Handle" by Spencer
Ackerman, Wired Danger Room, May 7, 2012:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/05/congress-armed-drones/
WHAT IS A CYBER THREAT?
Cyber security is a "nebulous domain... that tends to resist easy
measurement and, in some cases, appears to defy any measurement," according
to a report issued in March by Sandia National Laboratories.
In order to establish a common vocabulary for discussing cyber threats, and
thereby to enable an appropriate response, the Sandia authors propose a
variety of attributes that can be used to characterize cyber threats in a
standardized and consistent way.
"Several advantages ensue from the ability to measure threats accurately and
consistently," the authors write. "Good threat measurement, for example, can
improve understanding and facilitate analysis. It can also reveal trends and
anomalies, underscore the significance of specific vulnerabilities, and help
associate threats with potential consequences. In short, good threat
measurement supports good risk management."
See "Cyber Threat Metrics" by Mark Mateski, et al, Sandia National
Laboratories, March 2012:
http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/metrics.pdf
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_______________________________________________
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Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation
of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
To SUBSCRIBE to Secrecy News, go to:
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To UNSUBSCRIBE, go to
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OR email your request to saftergood@xxxxxxx
Secrecy News is archived at:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/index.html
Support the FAS Project on Government Secrecy with a donation:
http://www.fas.org/member/donate_today.html
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_______________________
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Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web: www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email: saftergood@xxxxxxx
voice: (202) 454-4691
twitter: @saftergood
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